Congress is responsible for passing annual appropriations to fund government agencies. If Congress neglects to pass funding bills, government agencies are forced to shut down. Follow all of Federal News Radio's government shutdown coverage from the past several years.

While it's unclear whether Congress will approve another continuing resolution or full-year funding for the Homeland Security Department after this Friday, DHS has made plans in case of a lapse in funding.

The effort to fund the Homeland Security Department is in chaos this afternoon. The House rejected a three-week continuing resolution after observers spent most of the day trying to figure out what the backup plan was -- without much success. Tom Shoop is Editor in Chief at Government Executive magazine. He broke down the odds of Congress passing a DHS budget on In Depth with Francis Rose.

Funding for DHS expires at midnight tonight, which means Congress is quickly running out of time to pass another continuing resolution. If they don't do it today, nearly 30,000 employees will be furloughed. Among the hardest hit will be FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Robert Autry, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 4060, which represents FEMA headquarters employees here in Washington, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to further explain how a shutdown would impact the agency.

The full Senate will likely vote on a bill that would fund the Homeland Security Department past Friday's deadline. It's unclear what moves the House will make next. But DHS is preparing for the worst. Chris Cummiskey was acting undersecretary for management at DHS during the government shutdown in 2013. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he told Federal News Radio's Emily Kopp what DHS managers are doing to prepare.

Stop us if you've heard this before. Congress, divided over policy, threatens to let funding lapse for federal agencies. That would cause furloughs for some, and working without pay for others. The last time it happened, federal employees had grounds for a lawsuit over violations of labor law. Could it happen again for Homeland Security employees? As part of this week's Legal Loop, Heidi Burakiewicz, a partner at the law firm Mehri & Skalet, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with some answers.

A vote in the Senate could come as early as Thursday on a bill that would fund the Homeland Security Department beyond this Friday. If passed, the bill would still have to clear the House, before being sent to the President's desk. While Congress was busy making moves Wednesday, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson went on the offensive to ensure Congress doesn't shut down his department. 30,000 DHS workers would be sent home and the trickle-down effect on state and local governments and law enforcement organizations would worsen if Congress doesn't pass a bill, Johnson said.

The expiration date for Homeland Security's continuing resolution is fast approaching. The deadline is Friday. And that means Congress has just four days to reach an agreement funding the department for the rest of the year, or furlough roughly 30,000 employees. What should DHS managers be doing to prepare for this possibility? John Palguta, the vice president for policy at the Partnership for Public Service, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to offer some answers.

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security will run out February 28 unless Congress acts fast. Just how bad would a shutdown be for DHS? Former Homeland Security HR exec Jeff Neal offers his inside take.

As a matter of "caution," the Office of Management and Budget discussed shutdown contingencies with agencies today as Congress continues to debate a bipartisan budget deal. Federal funding runs out at 12:01 a.m. Friday.

Friday was a good day for feds. They found out they will receive a bonus holiday at Christmas. But will this week bring more holiday joy or will Scrooge show up in the form of a government shutdown, asks Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.